


Do you know it's Christmas time at all?

by spellchecks



Category: BTOB (Band)
Genre: Christmas, Flirting, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:54:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28274913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spellchecks/pseuds/spellchecks
Summary: Minhyuk's bored and lonely playing Christmas songs in the cold, spotting a charming friend of a friend might just be a fine solution to both of those problems.
Relationships: Jung Ilhoon/Lee Minhyuk
Kudos: 4





	Do you know it's Christmas time at all?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [jijal](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jijal/gifts).



> Thanks for the bluetooth speaker.

You can hear those sleigh bells jingling, ring-ting tingling and Minhyuk’s getting sick of playing Christmas songs in the freezing cold by now. To be fair, he has been playing for nearly six hours straight today and his fingers have gone too numb to even feel the guitar strings under them, to the point where he’s wondering how he hasn’t seriously messed up a song yet. Either way, his stomach has been rumbling angrily for three songs now and his time is nearly up anyway. So he thanks the crowd mostly made up of young couples and starts packing his earned money and equipment, making room for the next performer should she want to start a bit early.

While he’s packing his things, however, he can slowly feel a sense of dread settling in his stomach. He should be happy to be done, he’s gotten quite a bit more money than usual and his performances all went very well, and yet… He let’s out an annoyed sigh at his own dramatics. Just because he’s on his own this Christmas doesn’t mean the day’s going to be miserable. It’s just, seeing all those young couples walking around, holding each other’s hands and enjoying the festive spirit, while he’s all on his own in the cold with nothing to do does make him feel jealous. And somewhat lonely as well.

So he can’t really blame himself if he gives in one last time and gets out his emergency pack of cigarettes, while searching for a decent alleyway to give in to his vice. Christmas is about forgiveness after all.   
It only takes him a few seconds to find a decent looking spot, years of smoking have taught him that skill. It’s a tidy looking little street next to a restaurant building, and quite well-lit for a smoking spot in this time of day, which is probably the reason why it’s already taken.

Minhyuk decides to approach nonetheless, smoking is a peer sport after all so the guy shouldn’t be too bothered. He wanders over slowly, checking out the guy once he’s close enough for his short-sighted eyes to make out more than just a skinny blob of winter clothing, when - to his surprise - he actually recognises him. He starts walking over with more purpose now, his mood first lifting a bit, and then even more when the guy spots him and his eyes light up a little in recognition as well.

“Fancy seeing you here, Ilhoon,” Minhyuk says, trying not to sound too delighted for the occasion. It’s not like the two of them know each other very well, after all. They met a few times on nights out, got introduced as a friend of a friend, had some fun conversations, and that’s that. A bit of a shame in Minhyuk’s opinion, seeing how Ilhoon is quite an attractive person, but he’s also a disinterested person when it comes to Minhyuk. Which, now that he thinks of it, is probably the only reason why he’s interested in the guy in the first place.

“Likewise,” Ilhoon says “I thought I heard your voice earlier, but I wasn’t sure.”

Minhyuk gives a little grin in response.

“Did you? How come you didn’t come over? Was I not good enough?” He puts his hand over his heart in mock hurt.

Ilhoon shakes his head in amusement.

“No, you sounded great. You just stopped right when I came outside.”

And this is where it starts to become interesting. One, formerly to-be-believed-disinterested Ilhoon just paid him a compliment, two, Minhyuk enjoyed receiving said compliment a bit too much to just be attracted by Ilhoon’s now disproven disinterest and three, there are multiple cigarette stubs were Ilhoon is standing, and while they could be someone else’s, they do build a quite suspicious looking stack.

He doesn’t know why Ilhoon may be lying about not having come over, but either way the game is now on. The worst thing that could happen is still better than a boring Christmas on his own, Minhyuk tells himself.

“I’m glad you enjoyed whatever bits you heard of it then!” Minhyuk says, finally taking out a cigarette from his pack himself, “I haven’t got a lighter on me, can you light me maybe?”

“Sure,” Ilhoon shrugs and holds up his lighter for Minhyuk to take. Too casual for Minhyuk’s tastes though, so instead of simply taking the thing, he puts his cigarette between his lips and bends forward, gaze fixed on Ilhoon’s. This move is supposed to be a bit mischievous, a bit flirty, Minhyuk’s gotten tons of guys with the same trick before, but something about Ilhoon - or maybe his mannerisms - just makes him want to crack into a grin all the time. There is an unpredictable charm to the guy, that Minhyuk just loves to get surprised by. You never know what it is you’re going to get; complete nonchalance or a somewhat endearing awkwardness.

Minhyuk’s little stunt wasn’t enough for embarrassment apparently; Ilhoon doesn’t show any sign of being caught off guard and simply lights Minhyuk’s cigarette for him, his hand close enough to Minhyuk’s face that he can feel the cold radiating off of it. He takes a puff of his newly lit cig and decides to go for a new strategy.

“What about you then?” Minhyuk asks, “You didn’t just come all the way to Hongdae to smoke, did you? Are you here on your own?”

Ilhoon gives a one sided shrug.

“I’m here for a date actually. Though I do regret leaving the flat at all, to be honest with you.”

Minhyuk tries for a sympathetic expression, pretending that his feelings didn’t go through a blitz-rollercoaster just then.

“Surely it can’t be going that bad?”

Ilhoon lets out a dry chuckle.

“Well, if you consider your date making out with another guy ‘not bad’ then sure, it’s not going bad at all,” Ilhoon says, dropping his cigarette bum on the ground and then proceeds to squash it with his shoe.

Minhyuk is so caught off guard by that answer, that he can only feel his sympathetic charade crumble into a face of shocked amusement. He lets out a small ‘oh god’ as a last ditch effort and then gives in to a tension breaking fit of laughter. And to his glee, Ilhoon joins in after a second as well.

Once they composed themselves enough to only letting out a lone giggle now and again, Minhyuk decides to just quit any pretences and go all in.

“You know, I am pretty hungry right now. And I’d definitely not kiss any strangers, should you still want a date tonight,” he says, unable to keep the sliver of hope shining through his voice.

Ilhoon looks at him for an unnervingly long second, before he breaks out in a little smile and says the most relieving words Minhyuk’s heard that day.

“Let’s go then.”

**Author's Note:**

> The fic title is inspired by the song Do They Know It's Christmas? (1984) by Band Aid, which I then found out is apparently about people in Africa starving to death on Christmas?
> 
> Anyway, to quote Bono's line in the song:  
> Well, tonight, thank God it's them and not you!
> 
> Merry Christmas :)


End file.
